The Shining City

If you've read the first novel in this series and are uncertain about getting the second one, trust me on this: GET IT. You will love it. And if you've never read any of Kate Forsyth's work before, get it too - it's a great introduction to her richly imagined world of witches, faeries, and lords.

Rhiannon is a half-satyricorn who unwittingly gets herself caught up in the affairs of the country of Eileanan when she flees her tribe. Found to possess strong magic, Lewen, a young man who finds her hurt in the forest on a winged horse, urges her to cultivate her powers at the Tower of Two Moons. But first she must face charges of murder and treason: Rhiannon has killed a Yeomen of the guard.

We get to really delve into all the characters in show more THE SHINING CITY. From Lachlan, the ruling Rìgh of Eileanan, to seemingly flighty Bronwen, engaged to the heir, every single character is driven by their own beliefs, ambitions, and wants. The best part of it all is that it's all completely believable, and when I say "completely," I mean it. Forsyth is gifted with the ability to really get to the heart of every single driving force in her characters.

The constant change in perspective Forsyth provides us with gives us a better look at the bigger picture, and it really works to illustrate the scope and depth she has imbued her world with. Some authors might stumble here, but she does it with grace and careful attention to detail.

Speaking of detail, the characters all speak in dialect, something that becomes a fun sort of "secret language" that only Forsyth readers know.

This is that rare sequel that is better than its counterpart. While THE TOWER OF RAVENS was wonderful in and of itself, I find that it worked much better as a set-up to all the events in this second book. THE SHINING CITY is jam-packed with adventure, intrigue, romance, drama, and a rich, well-imagined history and fantasy world. This is a book to enjoy! show less

This is the second book in the trilogy Rhiannon's Ride. This book was full of much more intrigue than the first book (it takes place at the Royal Court). There is not much action in the first half of the book; this change of pace does not make the series suffer though, I actually though this book was even better than the first one.

Rhiannon, Lewen and crew show up in Lucescere and things turn out as awful as Rhiannon thought they would. Rhiannon is thrown into prison while her friends try to comfort her and plead with the Righ for her to have a more lenient sentence. Meanwhile darker things are afoot than Rhiannon's trial. The kingdom is being thrown topsy turvy by dark magic and events are drawing together to create the most dire show more situation possible.

This book was much darker than the first. There was much more time spent with court intrigue than with adventure; yet the court intrigue was very well done. You can really feel the despair of the characters. At times I was angry that so many bad things were happening to the character; just the fact that the author makes you feel so upset for the characters is a testament to the quality of this book. It is an amazing book. It never once got boring and I was pulled through the book unable to put it down at the end.

Once again my only complaint would be that the book ends with a number of issues being unresolved. Basically it ends mid-story and if I had not had the next book I would be grinding my teeth in frustration. My recommendation would be to make sure you have the third book before reading the second one. A great series, I will definitely take a look at the first series Kate Forsyth wrote. show less

Olwynne is a character that should have been great, so it was really disturbing to watch her become so awful. Lewen's behavior is equally upsetting (though not unexplained), only Rhiannon holds true. It's hard watching her go through everything, but she grows despite the hardship.

Oh, my dog, I wouldn't be 24 again for all the money in the world!